Man Sends Thanks After His Dui Arrest

July 12, 1985|By Mark Andrews of The Sentinel Staff

ALTAMONTE SPRINGS — Robert Craig says the Altamonte Springs police officer who arrested him for drunken driving in April might have prevented him from killing or maiming someone so he's written police a thank-you note.

Craig pleaded guilty to the charge and was put on probation for a year. The judge also restricted his driving for six months, fined him $250 and ordered him to work 50 hours of community service.

Jerry Warriner, who has been an Altamonte officer for three years, said it was the first time someone had thanked him for making an arrest.

In the letter, Craig, 61, a Winter Springs resident, said he is grateful that Warriner got him off the road before he killed or hurt someone.

He wrote he was ''near tears'' when he thought of what could have happened if he had not been stopped. ''I still had 5 or 6 miles to go to get home, my friend!'' Craig wrote. ''What pedestrian, cyclist or car full of people could have suffered injury or even worse if I had been allowed to go on my way?''

Warriner said he saw Craig's Fiat convertible headed north on Douglas Avenue, just north of State Road 436, about halfway across the center line about 9:30 p.m. on April 26. He put on his flashing lights to pull over the car and Craig stopped but then drove away, Warriner said.

Craig explained later that he stopped because he thought the police car wanted to get around him, then thought it had turned because he couldn't see the car's lights in his rear-view mirror. So he drove off.

Warriner stopped Craig again after he turned east onto State Road 434.

Craig said he had four rum-and-tonic drinks on an empty stomach in the 90 minutes before he got into his car.

How does he feel now about drinking and driving?

''I may have a beer here at home or a glass of wine with dinner, but that's it,'' he said.

This was Craig's first arrest and he swears it will be his last.

Craig said his thoughts of what might have happened if he had hit someone scared him more than his World War II combat experiences.

''In combat I survived emergency landings and had a friend killed by shots in his back which had to pass me to get to him,'' Craig said in his letter. ''Did that shake me? Yes, but not nearly so much as those thoughts which ran through my mind that night.''